Kansas State University Athletics
Saturday, February 29
Manhattan, Kan.
12:30 p.m.
Kansas State University
9-20,2-14Big 12
58
vs
62
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Kansas
26-3,15-1Big 12
1
2
F
Kansas
35
27
62
Kansas St.
34
24
58
Dotson's 25 Lifts Kansas in 62-58 Win Over K-State
Feb 29, 2020 | Men's Basketball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Sophomore Devon Dotson scored a game-high 25 points, including 5 in a pivotal 8-0 run late in the second half, as No. 1/1 Kansas ran its winning streak to 14 games with a 62-58 win over Kansas State on Saturday afternoon before 9,003 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
With the score knotted at 48-all with 7:23 to play, the top-ranked Jayhawks (26-3, 15-1 Big 12) scored 8 consecutive points out of the media timeout, which started with a pair of free throws from Dotson. After freshman sharpshooter Christian Braun nailed the team's only 3-pointer in the second half with just under 5 minutes to play, Dotson wrapped up the run with an old fashioned 3-point play for a 56-48 lead with 4:03 remaining.
K-State, which showed more fight and resilience against the nation's No. 1 team than in its last 2 defeats, still had an opportunity with 27 seconds left, closing to within 60-57 after a 3-pointer from freshman DaJuan Gordon that capped a 9-4 run. However, after senior Isaiah Moss knocked down 2 free throws for a 62-57 lead, the Wildcats could not get a shot to fall in the waning seconds in the narrow 62-58 loss.
The setback was yet another disappointing one for K-State (9-20, 2-14 Big 12), which lost for the 12th time this season by single digits, including the seventh time by 5 points or less. The team's 9-game losing streak is the longest since the Wildcats dropped 11 in a row from Jan. 12 to Feb. 19, 2000.
K-State had its opportunities throughout the game, rallying from a 9-point first half deficit on the strength of a 12-5 run to close to within 35-34 at the half. A layup by senior Makol Mawien gave the Wildcats just their second lead at 36-35 just 16 seconds into the second half, which was part of a 9-4 run coming out of halftime, that extended the lead to 43-39 at the 15:10 mark.
However, a layup by senior Isaiah Moss and a 3-point play by Dotson gave the Jayhawks the lead again at 44-43 at the 13:16 mark. The two teams traded the lead over the next few possessions heading into the pivotal 8-0 with less than 7 minutes to play.
Neither team shot particularly well for the contest especially in the second half. Kansas connected on 41.9 percent (18-of-43) from the field, including 26.7 percent (4-of-15) from 3-point range, while K-State hit on 39.6 percent (19-of-48), including 32 percent (8-of-25) from long range. The big difference came from the free throw line, where the Jayhawks made 22 of 31 attempts for 71 percent compared to the Wildcats' 12 of 18 effort (66.7 percent).
Dotson was the lone Kansas player in double figures with 25 points on 8-of-11 field goals and a perfect 8-of-8 effort from the free throw line, while sophomore David McCormack added 9 points.
Junior Cartier Diarra paced three Wildcats in double figures with 15 points on 5-of-11 field goals, including 2-of-8 from 3-point range, while seniors Makol Mawien and Xavier Sneed each added 13 points and 5 rebounds.
With the loss, K-State suffered just its second 20-loss season in school history and the first since the 1945-46 season. The Wildcats also finished the month of February winless (0-9) for the first time since 1940.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Junior Cartier Diarra gave K-State its first lead in 4 games with a 3-pointer just 44 seconds into the game. However, the lead was short-lived, as a jumper and two free throws by senior Udoka Azubuike gave Kansas a 4-3 lead at the 16:52 mark. The Jayhawks continued to extend the lead from there, as a 7-0 run capped by a corner 3-pointer by sophomore Ochai Agbaji, pushed the lead to 12-4 and forced head coach Bruce Weber to call his first timeout with 12:36 to play before halftime.
The Wildcats slowly chipped away at the lead, using a Diarra jumper and a 3-pointer from senior Xavier Sneed to close to within 14-10. However, once again, the Jayhawks were able to put together a scoring run, capped by a Christian Braun 3-pointer, to push it back out to 19-10 nearly the midway point of the first half.
The deficit didn't falter the K-State effort, as the team twice closed to within 4 points, before a layup by senior Makol Mawien and a steal and layup by Diarra closed the deficit to 21-19 and forced Kansas head coach Bill Self to call his first timeout at the 7:37 mark.
The Jayhawks responded out of the timeout with a layup from sophomore Devon Dotson, which started a 9-2 run that pushed the lead back out to 30-22 at the final media timeout with 4 to play before halftime. Dotson was responsible for all 9 points in the run, including 2 layups, a 3-pointer and 2 free throws.
Junior Mike McGuirl ignited the K-State offense going with back-to-back 3-pointers, while another 3 pointer, this time from junior David Sloan, got the Wildcats to within 33-31 with 1:50 to play.
After 2 free throws by senior Isaiah Moss pushed the Jayhawks back out to 35-31, Sneed had an opportunity to tie the game at halftime, but he missed the fourth of 4 straight from the free throw to close it to 35-34.
Kansas connected on 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from the field in the first half, including 60 percent (3-of-5) from 3-point range, while K-State hit on 44 percent (11-of-25), including 50 percent (6-of-12) from long range. The Jayhawks made 14 of 18 free throw attempts (77.8 percent) compared to 6 of 11 (54.5 percent) from the Wildcats.
Dotson led all scorers with 15 points on 5-of-6 field goals and 4-of-4 free throws in the first half, while Sneed and Diarra paced K-State with 9 and 8 points, respectively, at the half.
A layup by Mawien just 16 seconds into the second half gave the Wildcats just their second lead of the game at 36-35, while a second layup from Mawien and a 3-pointer by Diarra extended the lead to 41-37 and forced Self to call a timeout at the 16:47 mark.
It took some time, but Kansas eventually erased the deficit, as a 5-0 run, highlighted by a Dotson 3-point play, gave the Jayhawks the lead at 44-43 with 13:16 to play.
The two teams exchanged the lead over the next few possessions before a Sneed jumper tied the game at 48-48 heading into the third media timeout with 7:23 remaining.
Kansas executed out of the timeout with a pair of free throws by Dotson that started a 7-0 run by the Jayhawks and gave them a 56-48 lead at the final media timeout at the 3:46 mark. During the run, freshman Christian Braun nailed a 3-pointer before it was capped by another 3-point play by Dotson.
With the Jayhawks leading 58-50 with 2 minutes to play, the Wildcats made one last run, scoring 7 of the next 9 points capped by a 3-pointer by freshman DaJuan Gordon, to close to within 60-57 with 27 seconds remaining. However, Moss knocked down a pair of free throws on the next possession, and Kansas held tough on the defensive end to finish off the 62-58 victory.
Neither team shot particularly well in the second half with K-State connecting on 34.8 percent (8-of-23) from the field, including 15.4 percent (2-of-13) from 3-point range, while Kansas hit on 33.3 percent (9-of-27), including 10.0 percent (1-of-10) from long range.
Dotson led all scorers with 10 points on 3-of-5 field goals and 4-of-4 free throws, while Mawien led the Wildcats with 9 points on 3-of-4 field goals and 3-of-3 free throws.
PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME
Junior Cartier Diarra scored a game-high 15 points on 5-of-11 field goals, including 2-of-8 from 3-point range, to go with a 3 of 4 effort from the free throw line and team-high 3 assists in 25 minutes. It marked the 13th time leading the Wildcats in scoring, including the 12th time this season.
Seniors Makol Mawien and Xavier Sneed each scored 13 points and grabbed a team-tying 5 rebounds, while Mawien also collected 3 blocked shots.
STAT OF THE GAME
22/31 – Kansas took advantage of its opportunities at the free throw line, connecting on 22 of 31 attempts (71 percent), to outscore K-State by 10. Sophomore Devon Dotson (8-of-8) and senior Isaiah Moss (6-of-6) went a combined 14 of 14 from the line.
IN THEIR WORDS
K-State Head Coach Bruce Weber
On his team's effort...
"Our guys played hard. They prepared. We did a lot of good things to give us a chance, but in that one little stretch we had about four or five bad possessions offensively which led to their transitions and (Devon) Dotson - I told the guy before the game, 'I'm really proud, you have a chance to become player of the year in the country,' and he backed it up today in a big game on the road and made a lot of huge plays. I thought we needed somebody, like Mike McGuirl, who jumped up and made a couple three's in the first half, got us back in the game. Then DaJuan (Gordon) made one in that stretch and gave us a little bit of a chance. If you're going to beat a team like that you've got to have somebody jump up and be special. I thought Mak (Makol Mawien) was really good, and all of them gave a great effort. I thought when we were able to guard in the half court, we did a great job of stopping them. Their transition, obviously, is really elite, and they've got a lot of weapons. I thought we did a lot better than last time, but it's not a win. It's sad. I just ask them to come back with the same mentality, the same mindset as we approach this last week. We've got to get Oklahoma State. We've got to get Iowa State and go into the Big 12 Tournament with some momentum."
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
Team Notes
Player Notes
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State begins the last week of the regular season in Stillwater, Okla., as the Wildcats take on Oklahoma State (15-14, 5-11 Big 12) on Wednesday night at 8 p.m., CT on ESPNU. The Cowboys won the first meeting, 64-59, on Feb. 11 and will be looking for the season sweep for the first time in the Big 12 round-robin era.
With the score knotted at 48-all with 7:23 to play, the top-ranked Jayhawks (26-3, 15-1 Big 12) scored 8 consecutive points out of the media timeout, which started with a pair of free throws from Dotson. After freshman sharpshooter Christian Braun nailed the team's only 3-pointer in the second half with just under 5 minutes to play, Dotson wrapped up the run with an old fashioned 3-point play for a 56-48 lead with 4:03 remaining.
K-State, which showed more fight and resilience against the nation's No. 1 team than in its last 2 defeats, still had an opportunity with 27 seconds left, closing to within 60-57 after a 3-pointer from freshman DaJuan Gordon that capped a 9-4 run. However, after senior Isaiah Moss knocked down 2 free throws for a 62-57 lead, the Wildcats could not get a shot to fall in the waning seconds in the narrow 62-58 loss.
The setback was yet another disappointing one for K-State (9-20, 2-14 Big 12), which lost for the 12th time this season by single digits, including the seventh time by 5 points or less. The team's 9-game losing streak is the longest since the Wildcats dropped 11 in a row from Jan. 12 to Feb. 19, 2000.
K-State had its opportunities throughout the game, rallying from a 9-point first half deficit on the strength of a 12-5 run to close to within 35-34 at the half. A layup by senior Makol Mawien gave the Wildcats just their second lead at 36-35 just 16 seconds into the second half, which was part of a 9-4 run coming out of halftime, that extended the lead to 43-39 at the 15:10 mark.
However, a layup by senior Isaiah Moss and a 3-point play by Dotson gave the Jayhawks the lead again at 44-43 at the 13:16 mark. The two teams traded the lead over the next few possessions heading into the pivotal 8-0 with less than 7 minutes to play.
Neither team shot particularly well for the contest especially in the second half. Kansas connected on 41.9 percent (18-of-43) from the field, including 26.7 percent (4-of-15) from 3-point range, while K-State hit on 39.6 percent (19-of-48), including 32 percent (8-of-25) from long range. The big difference came from the free throw line, where the Jayhawks made 22 of 31 attempts for 71 percent compared to the Wildcats' 12 of 18 effort (66.7 percent).
Dotson was the lone Kansas player in double figures with 25 points on 8-of-11 field goals and a perfect 8-of-8 effort from the free throw line, while sophomore David McCormack added 9 points.
Junior Cartier Diarra paced three Wildcats in double figures with 15 points on 5-of-11 field goals, including 2-of-8 from 3-point range, while seniors Makol Mawien and Xavier Sneed each added 13 points and 5 rebounds.
With the loss, K-State suffered just its second 20-loss season in school history and the first since the 1945-46 season. The Wildcats also finished the month of February winless (0-9) for the first time since 1940.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Junior Cartier Diarra gave K-State its first lead in 4 games with a 3-pointer just 44 seconds into the game. However, the lead was short-lived, as a jumper and two free throws by senior Udoka Azubuike gave Kansas a 4-3 lead at the 16:52 mark. The Jayhawks continued to extend the lead from there, as a 7-0 run capped by a corner 3-pointer by sophomore Ochai Agbaji, pushed the lead to 12-4 and forced head coach Bruce Weber to call his first timeout with 12:36 to play before halftime.
The Wildcats slowly chipped away at the lead, using a Diarra jumper and a 3-pointer from senior Xavier Sneed to close to within 14-10. However, once again, the Jayhawks were able to put together a scoring run, capped by a Christian Braun 3-pointer, to push it back out to 19-10 nearly the midway point of the first half.
The deficit didn't falter the K-State effort, as the team twice closed to within 4 points, before a layup by senior Makol Mawien and a steal and layup by Diarra closed the deficit to 21-19 and forced Kansas head coach Bill Self to call his first timeout at the 7:37 mark.
The Jayhawks responded out of the timeout with a layup from sophomore Devon Dotson, which started a 9-2 run that pushed the lead back out to 30-22 at the final media timeout with 4 to play before halftime. Dotson was responsible for all 9 points in the run, including 2 layups, a 3-pointer and 2 free throws.
Junior Mike McGuirl ignited the K-State offense going with back-to-back 3-pointers, while another 3 pointer, this time from junior David Sloan, got the Wildcats to within 33-31 with 1:50 to play.
After 2 free throws by senior Isaiah Moss pushed the Jayhawks back out to 35-31, Sneed had an opportunity to tie the game at halftime, but he missed the fourth of 4 straight from the free throw to close it to 35-34.
Kansas connected on 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from the field in the first half, including 60 percent (3-of-5) from 3-point range, while K-State hit on 44 percent (11-of-25), including 50 percent (6-of-12) from long range. The Jayhawks made 14 of 18 free throw attempts (77.8 percent) compared to 6 of 11 (54.5 percent) from the Wildcats.
Dotson led all scorers with 15 points on 5-of-6 field goals and 4-of-4 free throws in the first half, while Sneed and Diarra paced K-State with 9 and 8 points, respectively, at the half.
A layup by Mawien just 16 seconds into the second half gave the Wildcats just their second lead of the game at 36-35, while a second layup from Mawien and a 3-pointer by Diarra extended the lead to 41-37 and forced Self to call a timeout at the 16:47 mark.
It took some time, but Kansas eventually erased the deficit, as a 5-0 run, highlighted by a Dotson 3-point play, gave the Jayhawks the lead at 44-43 with 13:16 to play.
The two teams exchanged the lead over the next few possessions before a Sneed jumper tied the game at 48-48 heading into the third media timeout with 7:23 remaining.
Kansas executed out of the timeout with a pair of free throws by Dotson that started a 7-0 run by the Jayhawks and gave them a 56-48 lead at the final media timeout at the 3:46 mark. During the run, freshman Christian Braun nailed a 3-pointer before it was capped by another 3-point play by Dotson.
With the Jayhawks leading 58-50 with 2 minutes to play, the Wildcats made one last run, scoring 7 of the next 9 points capped by a 3-pointer by freshman DaJuan Gordon, to close to within 60-57 with 27 seconds remaining. However, Moss knocked down a pair of free throws on the next possession, and Kansas held tough on the defensive end to finish off the 62-58 victory.
Neither team shot particularly well in the second half with K-State connecting on 34.8 percent (8-of-23) from the field, including 15.4 percent (2-of-13) from 3-point range, while Kansas hit on 33.3 percent (9-of-27), including 10.0 percent (1-of-10) from long range.
Dotson led all scorers with 10 points on 3-of-5 field goals and 4-of-4 free throws, while Mawien led the Wildcats with 9 points on 3-of-4 field goals and 3-of-3 free throws.
PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME
Junior Cartier Diarra scored a game-high 15 points on 5-of-11 field goals, including 2-of-8 from 3-point range, to go with a 3 of 4 effort from the free throw line and team-high 3 assists in 25 minutes. It marked the 13th time leading the Wildcats in scoring, including the 12th time this season.
Seniors Makol Mawien and Xavier Sneed each scored 13 points and grabbed a team-tying 5 rebounds, while Mawien also collected 3 blocked shots.
STAT OF THE GAME
22/31 – Kansas took advantage of its opportunities at the free throw line, connecting on 22 of 31 attempts (71 percent), to outscore K-State by 10. Sophomore Devon Dotson (8-of-8) and senior Isaiah Moss (6-of-6) went a combined 14 of 14 from the line.
IN THEIR WORDS
K-State Head Coach Bruce Weber
On his team's effort...
"Our guys played hard. They prepared. We did a lot of good things to give us a chance, but in that one little stretch we had about four or five bad possessions offensively which led to their transitions and (Devon) Dotson - I told the guy before the game, 'I'm really proud, you have a chance to become player of the year in the country,' and he backed it up today in a big game on the road and made a lot of huge plays. I thought we needed somebody, like Mike McGuirl, who jumped up and made a couple three's in the first half, got us back in the game. Then DaJuan (Gordon) made one in that stretch and gave us a little bit of a chance. If you're going to beat a team like that you've got to have somebody jump up and be special. I thought Mak (Makol Mawien) was really good, and all of them gave a great effort. I thought when we were able to guard in the half court, we did a great job of stopping them. Their transition, obviously, is really elite, and they've got a lot of weapons. I thought we did a lot better than last time, but it's not a win. It's sad. I just ask them to come back with the same mentality, the same mindset as we approach this last week. We've got to get Oklahoma State. We've got to get Iowa State and go into the Big 12 Tournament with some momentum."
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
- K-State's 9-game losing streak is the longest of the Bruce Weber era and the longest for the Wildcats since dropping 11 in a row from Jan. 12 to Feb. 19, 2000.
- K-State suffered its just second 20-loss season and the first since the 1945-46 season.
- K-State went winless (0-9) in the month of February for the first time since 1940.
- Kansas now leads the all-time series, 199-94, with K-State, including 79-48 in Manhattan… With the win, Kansas sweep the series for the first time since 2018 and now leads the series, 52-6, in the Big 12 era.
- The Wildcats' starting lineup consisted of junior Mike McGuirl, junior Cartier Diarra, freshman DaJuan Gordon, senior Xavier Sneed and senior Makol Mawien… This was the first time using this lineup and the ninth different lineup used this season, the most since 2014-15.
- Sneed has now played in 134 career games, including 101 starts (62 consecutive)… He is now tied with Will Spradling (134/2010-14) for fourth place on the all-time games played list… He is also 1 start
- Mawien has played and started in every game in his career, which now stretches to 100… He is on track to become the first 3 or more year player to start every game his in his career… He is also 2 starts shy of cracking the career starts list.
- Diarra has now appeared in 92 career games with 55 starts, including 24 of 29 games this season… DaJuan Gordon earned his ninth start and has now played in all 29 games this season… It was his first Big 12 start since the TCU game (2/15/20) and his eighth overall.
- At least 1 of the 3 true freshmen (A. Gordon, DaJuan Gordon and Montavious Murphy) have started each of the last 10 games.
- Junior David Sloan was the first player off the bench.
- Freshman Montavious Murphy missed the game due to injury (knee) and has now missed 10 games.
Team Notes
- K-State connected on 39.6 percent (19-of-48) from the field, including 32 percent (8-of-25) from 3-point range, made 12 of 18 attempts (66.7 percent) from the free throw line… It marked the seventh time this season that they team has been held below 60 points.
- Kansas was held to 62 points on 41.9 percent shooting (18-of-43) from the field, including 26.7 percent (4-of-15) from 3-point range, but knocked down 71 percent (22-of-31) from the free throw line… It was the fifth fewest points scored in Big 12 play and the fourth-lowest field goal percentage.
- K-State forced Kansas into 16 turnovers, including 7 steals, and scored 19 points off those miscues… It marked the 17th time this season that the Wildcats have scored 18 or more points off turnovers.
- K-State had just 12 turnovers on the game, the eighth game with 12 turnovers or less this season.
- Kansas led for 26:28 minutes compared to 11:33 for K-State… It was the most minutes leading in a game during the current 9-game losing streak and the most since leading for 38:38 against Oklahoma (1/29/20).
- K-State trailed just 35-34 at the half, which was the fewest at the half since leading at TCU (2/15/20).
Player Notes
- Junior Cartier Diarra scored a team-high 15 points on 5-of-11 field goals, including 2-of-8 from 3-point range, and went 3 of 4 from the free throw line with 3 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal in 25 minutes… It marked the 13th time in his career leading the team in scoring, including the 12th this season… He has now scored in double figures in 37 career games, including 20 this season.
- Senior Xavier Sneed scored 13 points on 4-of-12 field goals, including 1-of-6 from 3-point range, and went 4 of 6 from the free throw line with a team-high 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist in 35 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 75 career games, including a team-leading 22 this season.
- Sneed now ranks 10th in K-State history with 75 career double-digit scoring games.
- Senior Makol Mawien scored 13 points on 5-of-9 field goals and 3-of-3 free throws with a team-tying 5 rebounds, 3 blocks and 1 assist in 31 minutes… He has now scored in double figures in 33 career games, including 11 this season.
- Freshman DaJuan Gordon scored 6 points on 2-of-3 field goals, both from 3-point range, to go with 3 rebounds and 2 steals in a season-best 34 minutes.
WHAT'S NEXT
K-State begins the last week of the regular season in Stillwater, Okla., as the Wildcats take on Oklahoma State (15-14, 5-11 Big 12) on Wednesday night at 8 p.m., CT on ESPNU. The Cowboys won the first meeting, 64-59, on Feb. 11 and will be looking for the season sweep for the first time in the Big 12 round-robin era.
Team Stats
KU
KState
FG%
.419
.396
3FG%
.267
.320
FT%
.710
.667
RB
35
23
TO
16
12
STL
8
7
Game Leaders
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballF
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